


Right in the Kisser

by Flynne



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, accidental snowball fight, but even the kids know what's up before cullen does, sadly no actual kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21776821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flynne/pseuds/Flynne
Summary: Cullen wasn't sure what he was expecting when he followed a strange noise into the woods outside of Haven, but it definitely wasn't this.
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan, Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford
Kudos: 38





	Right in the Kisser

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fictober 2019. Prompt was "It will be fun, trust me."

The din of soldiers sparring usually drowned out most ambient noise around him, so when the faint sound of a distant shout reached his ears, Cullen took notice. He craned his neck to look around, hand on the pommel of his sword, but nothing abnormal caught his eye and no one else seemed to have heard. The ever-present snow flurry around Haven was heavier than usual - not enough to obscure the breach from view, but still limiting visibility. He was almost ready to tell himself he’d imagined it when he heard it again, and this time there was no mistake. It didn’t sound like someone calling for help, but at the same time he couldn’t let it pass without investigating. **  
**

It was always a challenge to move quietly, despite years of wearing his armor like a second skin, but his heavy mantle and the fresh-fallen snow muffled most of the noise he made. His steps slowed cautiously as he drifted further into the trees. Even the not-inconsiderable bustle of Haven’s encampment had faded behind him, buried in the hush of falling snow. Nothing seemed amiss…nothing, except for the multiple trails of small footprints he now saw scattered through the snow-laden evergreens, and he stepped forward to follow them with a curious frown.

“Yaaaaah, gotcha!” The snowdrift on his left exploded with a shriek, and his sight was obliterated as packed snow pelted him in the face. Staggering back, blindly drawing his sword, he pawed at his face to clear his vision. He spat out a mouthful of snow and blinked stinging crystals from his eyes, looking down to see a small boy with snow-caked winter clothing staring up at him in horror.

“What in Andraste’s name…?”

“I’m sorry!” The boy recoiled, frightened tears welling up in his eyes. “Please, ser, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, I thought you were the Herald!”

“You thought I was _what?_ ” Too stunned to decide if he was baffled or angry, as his wits slowly gathered, he realized his sword was still in his hand, and he hastily sheathed it. “Easy now, I’m not going to hurt you, I just… _what_ is going _on?_ ”

“Cullen? Ha! What are you doing out here?” A second voice, rippling with barely-held laughter, came from behind him. He turned to see Felicity Trevelyan - equally covered in snow - duck out from behind a tall holly bush. The boy gave Cullen a final terrified glance before darting over to hide behind her. 

“What am _I_ …?” He stared, hopelessly confused. “Herald, what are _you_ doing out here?”

“We’re practicing stalking prey and setting an ambush,” she answered, grin widening as he shivered and swiped away a chunk of snow that was trying to creep down the back of his collar. “Henry’s aim is getting better.”

“Is it indeed?” he said dryly. “Who’s we?” He glanced down at the boy, still half-hiding behind Trevelyan, then realized that nearly a dozen small heads were poking out from behind trees, from burrows in snowbanks, from inside a hollow log. He recognized children of the refugees as well as one or two mage children who had come when Trevelyan had extended an offer of alliance to the rebels. “Ah. I see.”

“I didn’t mean to hit you, ser,” Henry said pleadingly. “Really, I didn’t. I just heard someone coming and - ”

“Yes, you thought I was the Herald,” Cullen finished for him. Confusion and alarm were rapidly being replaced by reluctant amusement, and he couldn’t keep back the beginnings of a grin of his own.

Wide-eyed, still clutching Trevelyan’s hand, the boy took a tentative step out from behind her. “You’re…not mad?”

“No. And I’m sorry, too, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He rubbed his nose, still stinging from the snowball’s impact. “The Herald is right, though. You’ve got a pretty good arm.” 

Henry cautiously started to smile back. A girl with evergreen twigs twined around her hood as camouflage let out a nervous giggle, which started one of the other children laughing. That set them all off, and as Henry bolted off to join the others, Trevelyan walked forward, eyes sparkling with mirth as she stopped in front of him. “Thanks for being a good sport.” 

“It was an honest mistake. Though if you’re the one who taught him how to sneak, you’ve done a good job,” he said wryly. “Not many ten-year-olds can say they’ve gotten the drop on a former templar.”

“Got you square in the face, didn’t he?” Trevelyan laughed. “I’m sorry I missed it.” She reached up and brushed snow from his hair.

“Yes, well.” Cullen’s face, already pink from the cold, flushed darker, and he cleared his throat sheepishly as a fresh burst of giggles erupted from behind the surrounding trees.

“You could stay and join in, you know. You can see how I’m outnumbered. I could use an ally.”

Cullen balked, caught off guard both by the offer and by the proximity of her smile. Standing this close, he could see the snowflakes as they landed on her lashes. “I…am not sure that would be…proper?” 

“Oh, come on. The soldiers can get along without you for an hour. It’ll be fun, trust me.” Her grin turned sly. “Unless the Commander is worried that his aim isn’t good enough? Worried that you won’t do Ferelden justice?”

Cullen hesitated, imagining what Leliana and Josephine and Cassandra would say if they found out he’d engaged in a snowball fight with the Herald of Andraste - and Leliana _would_ find out, he had no doubt - but the children were flitting around the clearing, waiting to hear his answer with cautious enthusiasm; and Trevelyan was watching him expectantly…and he hadn’t thrown a snowball since he’d left Honnleath as a boy. 

So he allowed himself to be goaded and gave in. “Well, now that you’ve made it personal, Marcher…” He smirked, warmed by her delighted laugh, and unbuckled his sword belt. He stretched up to hang the weapon from a branch to keep it dry and out of the way, and bent to scoop up a double handful of snow. “I have a reputation to defend.”


End file.
